“World may be crashing down ‘round us, but we figured out the trick.
Don’t be greedy. Be satisfied with having enough.
Some think it’s too antiquated a way of livin.’ But look around. We make it work.”
Outsiders view the Grass Kingdom as a town full of tax dodgers and squatters. Its residents know better. To live there is to live in a paradise full of people who want to think, live, and work for themselves and each other. So when someone new would like to join they all get a say.
The key plot starts to move at the end of chapter one, when a mysterious woman in need of refuge swims over forty miles to their community from the neighboring town of Cargill. Robert, their struggling “King,” is quick to welcome Maria to the Grass Kingdom. His brothers Ashur (youngest) and Bruce (oldest) support Robert’s ongoing efforts to protect Maria. They continue to even after they learn more about who she is and why the Sheriff of Cargill is looking for her. Sheriff Humbert has already been eager to disrupt their peace. If he had it his way, the members of the Grass Kingdom would integrate into lawful society.
Compelling mysteries lurk just below the surface, weaved in here and there with a level of expertise you’ll see from a master writer like Matt Kindt. Like, what happened to Robert’s missing daughter Rose? Did someone murder her? Or did she drown?
The first time Robert saw Maria he had been drinking and mistook her for Rose. This makes you wonder if the steps he takes to provide her with a safe place to hideout are entirely altruistic. Besides, Maria turns out to be a badass in her own right. And Robert ends up acknowledging that she doesn’t need as much help as him and his brothers had assumed. I’m looking forward to the further evolution of her character.
Though there are several plot threads at play here, it’s not overwhelming. Kindt knows well enough when things simply need room to breathe or when they require more page space.
Grass Kings Vol. 1 is able to satisfy somewhat a couple of the more meditative plot threads, while leaving the reader excited for what’s to come. It’s refreshing to feel a buildup of anticipation that isn’t reliant on a singular massive cliffhanger.
Fun facts about (writer) Matt Kindt:
- Won a Harvey award. He was nominated for five others Harvey awards and four Eisner.
- Self published his own zines at the age of seventeen.
- His wife is a comic book creator too. They work together on the series Dept. H.
Fun facts about (artist) Tyler Jenkins:
- Works with watercolors. He said that he knows a piece is done “when he’s bored with it.”
- He plays the guitar.
- Contributed to In the Dark by Rachel Deering, an Eisner nominated anthology.
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